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Coffin / Ballerina Nails
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Square Nails
Coffin / Ballerina Nails vs Square Nails — a detailed comparison to help you pick your perfect nail shape
Coffin / Ballerina Nails vs Square Nails — a detailed comparison to help you pick your perfect nail shape
Coffin and square both feature flat, straight-across tips — but that's where the similarity ends. Square maintains parallel sides at any length, while coffin tapers inward before the flat tip, creating a distinctive narrowed silhouette. This taper gives coffin its dramatic fashion-forward appeal compared to square's classic simplicity.
Coffin / Ballerina Nails vs Square Nails
Sides: coffin tapers inward, square stays parallel
Length required: coffin needs long nails, square works at any length
Trend factor: coffin is Instagram-trendy, square is timelessly classic
Choose square for timeless, low-maintenance elegance that works at any length and is easy to DIY. Choose coffin if you want a trendy, elongating shape that makes a style statement — but be prepared for higher maintenance and the need for longer nails. Square is the reliable classic; coffin is the stylish upgrade.
Yes, that's an accurate description. Coffin takes the square's flat tip and adds tapered sides. You can think of coffin as the fashion evolution of square nails.
Both have flat tips ideal for designs, but coffin at longer lengths offers more total surface area. Square's advantage is that it provides a good canvas even at short lengths, which coffin cannot.
Yes, if they're long enough. Angle your file along the sides to create the taper, keeping the flat tip. You'll need significant length — at least 5-6mm of free edge — for the taper to be visible.
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